Very quick question:
What’s the Ob for a pre-contact Recon roll? GM fiat? Is it versus something? The “standard” Ob3? Both the skill and the contact rules are silent on it as far as I can tell.
p.
Normally, the Obstacle of the Linked test would be equal to the Obstacle of the test to which it is Linked (e.g., if you want to link a Black Market-wise test into your Ob 4 Circles test to find a black market arms dealer, it would be an Ob 4 Black Market-wise test. You’d need 5 successes – one over the Obstacle – to get +1D to your Circles test). However, since you want to Link a Recon test to your Contact roll, and the Contact roll is open (i.e., it has no fixed Obstacle), the GM will need to set the Obstacle based on the chart on page 19, Obstacles to Overcome. You will need one success over that Obstacle to gain +1D for the Contact roll.
Wait…obstacles for linked tests are equal to the obstacles of the tests to which they are linked? Really? p. 300 sez the GM sets that difficulty. That’s a really interesting rule, though.
Anyway, re Recon: Set by the GM? Excellent. Should the GM maybe set difficulty based on some aspect of the terrain itself? IE recon of a city block might be harder than recon of the dark side of a moon?
Thanks!
p.
Ok. That’s it. I’m changing my name to Kublai.
Sorry to have confused you. The rule I cited about the Ob for Linked tests being equal to the tests to which they are linked is one that SHOULD have been in Burning Wheel. But it apparently isn’t.
Luke intended to ease it back slightly and just allow the GM to set the Obstacle in Burning Empires. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to scale back something that apparently isn’t in the original books in the first place.
To set the record straight: The GM sets the Obstacle for the Linked test using the Obstacles to Overcome chart on page 19. When in doubt, set the Ob at 3. The player rolling for the Linked test must exceed the Ob by 1 in order to grant a +1D.
And it’s not “GM fiat,” it’s the GM’s job!
I say tomato, you say tomato. :rolleyes: Seriously, though, what would be a good guideline for setting Recon difficulties? Would you set it on the “difficulty” of reconnoitering the terrain, and if so, how do you determine that? I’m not a military guy; I’d assume dense terrain like a cityscape would be way harder to recon than an ice field, an asteroid field is harder than a moon’s surface, etc.
Or would you set Recon difficulties on something else entirely, like time pressure to get it done before the opposition gets there? But that raises questions of what happens when both sides have their scouts poking around pre-battle.
p.
What I’d do is ask the players what they think. Ask them if X or Y Obstacle is fair, and if they say yeah, then go with it. I wonder if that makes me a dirty hippie for even suggesting this. chuckle
The GM Fiat phrase was a sneaky and clever move on your part to pull people out of the woodwork. Add a little controversy and watch people come a running! :rolleyes:
What I’d do is ask the players what they think. Ask them if X or Y Obstacle is fair, and if they say yeah, then go with it. I wonder if that makes me a dirty hippie for even suggesting this. chuckle
The GM Fiat phrase was a sneaky and clever move on your part to pull people out of the woodwork. Add a little controversy and watch people come a running!
Fiat = Controversy is So True!!
Also if the GM setting the Ob is not for you, then you can always make it a Skill test verses the other Commander’s Strategy or something. After all making it difficult for the other side to develop a clear idea concerning your forces seems like a no-brainer to me. (excepting for propoganda/psychological purposes, where maybe you want them to know where a group is).
I’d probably set it at Ob 3. 'Cause I’m a sucker for that number.